Meanings
present singular third person bites off more than one can chew · participle present biting off more than one can chew · past bit off more than one could chew · participle past bitten off more than one could chew
- idiomaticTo try to do too much; to take on or attempt more than one is capable of doing.
I think I bit off more than I could chew when I agreed to paint this house by myself.
Synonyms: cut off more than one can chew
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo try to do too much; to take on or attempt more than one is capable of doing.
Translations
Arabic قَضَمَ أَكْثَرَ مِمَّا يَسْتَطِيعُ مَضَغَهُ
- قَضَمَ أَكْثَرَ مِمَّا يَسْتَطِيعُ مَضَغَهُ (qaḍama ʔakṯara mimmā yastaṭīʕu maḍaḡahu)to try to do too much
Chinese Cantonese 眼闊肚窄 /眼阔肚窄
- 眼闊肚窄 /眼阔肚窄 (ngaan⁵ fut³ tou⁵ zaak³)to try to do too much
Chinese Mandarin 貪多嚼不爛 /贪多嚼不烂, 好高騖遠 /好高骛远
- 貪多嚼不爛 /贪多嚼不烂 (tān duō jiáo bú làn)to try to do too much
- 好高騖遠 /好高骛远 (hào gāo wù yuǎn)to try to do too much
Czech ukousnout si příliš velké sousto
- ukousnout si příliš velké soustoto try to do too much
Dutch te veel hooi op de vork nemen
- te veel hooi op de vork nemento try to do too much
Finnish haukata liian iso pala
- haukata liian iso palato try to do too much
French avoir les yeux plus gros que le ventre, charger la barque
- avoir les yeux plus gros que le ventreto try to do too much
- charger la barqueto try to do too much
German sich übernehmen
- sich übernehmento try to do too much
Hungarian túl nagy fába vágja a fejszéjét
- túl nagy fába vágja a fejszéjétto try to do too much
Icelandic reisa sér hurðarás um öxl
- reisa sér hurðarás um öxlto try to do too much
Irish is mó de bhéal ná do bholg
- is mó de bhéal ná do bholgto try to do too much
Italian fare il passo più lungo della gamba
- fare il passo più lungo della gambato try to do too much
Norwegian gape over for mye, ta seg vann over hodet
- gape over for myeto try to do too much
- ta seg vann over hodetto try to do too much
Persian لقمه گندهتر از دهن
- لقمه گندهتر از دهن (loqme-ye gonde-tar az dahan)to try to do too much
Polish porywać się z motyką na słońce
- porywać się z motyką na słońceto try to do too much
Portuguese dar um passo maior do que a perna, ter mais olhos que barriga
- dar um passo maior do que a pernato try to do too much
- ter mais olhos que barrigato try to do too much
Russian переоцени́ть свои́ си́лы
- переоцени́ть свои́ си́лы (pereocenítʹ svoí síly)to try to do too much
Spanish abarcar más de lo que se puede, pasarse de listo
- abarcar más de lo que se puedeto try to do too much
- pasarse de listoto try to do too much
Swedish ta sig vatten över huvudet
- ta sig vatten över huvudetto try to do too much
Vietnamese liệu cơm gắp mắm
- liệu cơm gắp mắmto try to do too much
Cite this entry
bite off more than one can chew. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bite%20off%20more%20than%20one%20can%20chew
“bite off more than one can chew.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bite%20off%20more%20than%20one%20can%20chew. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bite off more than one can chew,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bite%20off%20more%20than%20one%20can%20chew.
Source: bite off more than one can chew on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.